Bristol Britannia

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Bristol 175 Britannia
Bristol Britannia (1964)
Type: Airliner , transport aircraft
Design country:

United KingdomUnited Kingdom United Kingdom

Manufacturer:

Bristol Airplane Company

First flight:

August 16, 1952

Production time:

until 1959

Number of pieces:

85

Britannia 101 (short body) in BOAC livery, 1953
A Bristol Britannia from El Al on January 1st, 1958 over Tel Aviv-Jaffa
Britannia 314 of Canadian Pacific Air Lines , 1965
Donaldson International Airways' Britannia 312 in 1971
Bristol Britannia 253 from Young Cargo
Engines of a Bristol Britannia 312

The Bristol Type 175 Britannia was a long-haul aircraft for civil and military use built by the British Bristol Airplane Company from 1952 to 1959 . It was powered by four Bristol Proteus turboprop engines that had been developed in-house.

Due to its very quiet engines, the Britannia was known as "The Whispering Giant", although this was related to the volume level perceived from the outside and less to the background noise inside the aircraft itself. 85 copies were built, their the last one was decommissioned in 1997.

The name "Britannia" was introduced in 1982 by the British car manufacturer Bristol Cars Ltd. used for a sporty coupe .

history

The planning of the Britannia began in 1943 when a committee of the British Ministry of Transport under Lord Brabazon examined designs for civil aircraft for the period after the Second World War . One of the proposals discussed was a four-engine long-haul aircraft with 48 seats for use on the so-called Empire routes between Great Britain and the British colonies in Africa . The Bristol-Werke were awarded the contract for this project with Centaurus star engines, which was classified as unimportant .

For a period of only two months there was an order for 25 Britannias by BOAC in 1948. The order was withdrawn when it became apparent that the Comet would be operational much earlier than planned and the belated Britannia with its radial engines fell out of line. Instead of short trips in the tropics, the aircraft should be suitable for the Atlantic. After the prototype of the Britannia took off on its maiden flight on August 16, 1952, 15 copies of the 102 series were sold to the BOAC. These machines could already carry 90 passengers.

In 1956, an enlarged version of the Britannia, known as the 300 series, made its maiden flight and was ordered by BOAC, but was then canceled in favor of the 310 series. This series 310 was characterized by a greater range, which already enabled a non-stop flight over the North Atlantic in both directions. Finally, the series 252 and 253 emerged as military transports for the Royal Air Force . Other buyers of the various Britannia versions were airlines such as Canadian Pacific Airlines and El Al .

In the meantime, the first jet aircraft such as the British De Havilland Comet or the Douglas DC-8 and Boeing 707 models from the USA had appeared on the market. The Britannia with its turbo- prop engine became a thing of the past almost overnight. The production was then stopped after only 85 copies.

Canadair acquired the license for successor models in 1954 . This resulted in the Canadair CL-28 Argus sea ​​reconnaissance aircraft powered by piston engines, as well as the CL-44 , which was still in use at Heavylift until a few years ago.

construction

Bristol Britannia cockpit

The Bristol Britannia is an all-metal aircraft, comparable in appearance and performance to the Soviet Ilyushin Il-18, which appeared five years later . It is designed as a low-wing aircraft and equipped with a normal tail. Four Bristol Proteus turboprop engines are attached to their trapezoidal wings, which have a slight V position ; the adjustable four-blade propellers turn clockwise when viewed from the front.

The main landing gear consists of two four-wheel sets, with two pairs of wheels attached to each landing gear. When retracting, these are folded back by 90 ° and pulled back into the respective inner engine nacelle (as is also the case with older Tupolev passenger planes and exactly the other way around , as is the case with the Soviet ' counterpart ' Il-18). The nose gear retracts forwards. As with most aircraft of this size class, the large landing gear doors of the Bristol Britannia are only opened for the retraction and extension process, while small landing gear doors always remain open when extended.

The fuselage has a circular cross-section and is provided with a pressurized cabin . On both sides of the aisle are the rows of seats with three / three seats on each side, on the sides (except for the freight versions) there are large oval-shaped windows throughout. The two access doors on the left-hand side are pushed inwards to open and then pushed back into side slots.

use

General

In addition to British airlines, copies of the Bristol Britannia were also acquired by numerous foreign airlines in the 1950s, including the state-owned Cuban company Cubana . In Cuba they were kept for a long time after the revolution of 1959, and two of them were rented out to the Czechoslovakian ČSA in the meantime , whereby these even received a local approval and painting for a short time. Due to such 'detours', the Bristol Britannia was one of the few western aircraft types that were temporarily used regularly in scheduled services and in the colors of airlines of the Eastern Bloc (like the British One-Eleven with the Romanian TAROM and the Convair CV-240 , Sud-Est SE.161 Languedoc and the Vickers Viscount at the Polish Polskie line Lotnicze LOT ).

In addition to the CSA, the Britannia was also used by a few other users in Europe. These were the Belgian Young Cargo , the Irish Aer Turas and Interconair, the Swiss Globe Air , the Spanish Air Spain and the English Air Faisal .

The Royal Air Force continued their 20 Britannia C1. and three C.2s from 1959 to 1975 with the 99th and 511th Squadron from RAF Lyneham . In the operation of the Royal Air Force, only one machine was destroyed in an accident, with no fatalities.

The last flight of this type was carried out on October 14, 1997 with an RAF machine (registration XM496 ). This surviving machine has now received the paint of the RAF Transport Command again .

Operator of brand new machines

Versions

  • Series 100: Initial version, issued retrospectively when the 200, 250 and 300 series were in the planning stage
  • 101: Retroactive designation for the prototype, after individual series numbers were introduced for variants within the series, two built
  • 102: Production version of the 100 for BOAC, 15 built
  • 200: Intended freight version of the long-hull Britannia, not built
  • 250: Mixed-traffic version of the 200 with a cargo compartment in the fuselage area in front of the wing. Not built
  • 252: Version of the 250 that the Ministry of Supply commissioned to lease to charter companies. Took over from the RAF Transport Command as C Mk 2. three built
  • 253: C Mk 1: Mixed-traffic version of the 250, 20 built
  • 300: Basic designation for the passenger version with a long body. Not built
  • 301: Prototype for the 300 version, one built
  • 302: Production version of the 300 version, two built
  • 305: Series 300 with long-range tanks, but no modification for higher maximum weight, as for 310. Originally ordered from BOAC; Contract taken over from Capital Airlines but planned for delivery to Northeast Airlines ; five built and later converted to series 306–309
  • 306: a 305 leased to El Al, later converted to 307
  • 307: two 305 for Air Charter , later British United Airways (BUA)
  • 307F: Series 307 converted as a freighter for BUA
  • 308: two 305 for Transcontinental SA , Argentina
  • 308F: the two Series 308s that British Eagle International Airlines bought second-hand and converted into freighters
  • 309: a former 305 series leased to Ghana Airways
  • 310: Initial designation for the 300 series with long-range tanks, heavily planked hull, reinforced landing gear and increased maximum permissible weight and increased payload.
  • 311: Prototype for Series 310, later sold to Ghana Airways as Series 319
Britannia 318 of the Cubana , 1975
  • 312: Production version of the 310 for BOAC, 18 built
  • 312F: converted 312 as a freighter for BOAC
  • 313: Version for El Al, four built
  • 314: Series 310 for Canadian Pacific Airlines (CPAL), six built
  • 317: Series 310 for Hunting Clan Air Transport (later BUA), 124 seats, two built
  • 318: Series 310 for Cia Cubana de Aviacion, four built
  • 319: Series 311 for Ghana Airways
  • 320: higher capacity, higher cruising speed with greater economy, four built
  • 324: Series 320 leased to CPAL, two built

Incidents

From 1954 until it was decommissioned in 1997, the Bristol Britannia suffered 14 total losses with 365 fatalities. Full list:

  • On February 4, 1954, engine 3 (right inside) of a Bristol Britannia 101 of the British Ministry of Supply ( aircraft registration G-ALRX ) had to be switched off seven minutes after take-off from Bristol-Filton Airport ( Great Britain ) and later caught fire. As a precautionary measure, the neighboring engine 4 was also switched off. During the approach to Filton, the two remaining engines 1 and 2 (left) failed. They could be launched again quickly, but an emergency landing in the marshland of the River Severn became inevitable. All 13 occupants, 7 crew members and 6 passengers survived the total loss of the machine.
  • On November 6, 1957, a Britannia 301 of the British Ministry of Supply (G-ANCA) crashed on a test flight near Downend ( Great Britain ) in a forest, 7 kilometers east-southeast of the departure and destination airport Bristol-Filton. Control was lost during the approach at 1,500 feet (approximately 460 meters). All 15 occupants, 4 crew members and 11 passengers were killed.
  • On December 24, 1958, a British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) (G-AOVD) Britannia 312 was flown into the ground near Bournemouth in foggy weather. The machine was on a test flight as part of its annual inspection. The ergonomically very unfavorable design of the altimeter as a three-pointer instrument was named as a contributing factor. Nine of the twelve occupants were killed, including all seven passengers.
  • On November 11, 1960 there was a loss of hydraulic pressure in a Britannia 102 of the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) (G-ANBC) , which is why the landing gear could not be extended and locked. The landing at Khartoum Airport ( Sudan ) took place on a strip next to the actual runway, resulting in a total loss of the aircraft. All 27 occupants, 9 crew members and 18 passengers survived.
  • On July 22, 1962, the crew of a Britannia 314 of Canadian Pacific Airlines (CF-CZB) reported an engine failure after taking off from Honolulu Airport . The machine returned to the airport and hit the runway while attempting an emergency landing. The accident claimed 27 lives; 13 inmates survived.
The accident in Nicosia on 20 April 1967 Britannia 313 HB-ITC of Globe Air , Schiphol 1965
  • On July 9, 1965, the main landing gear could not be locked in the extended position of a Britannia 302 of the Aeronaves de México (XA-MEC) approaching Tijuana Airport ( Mexico ). All 82 occupants, 9 crew members and 73 passengers survived the emergency landing unharmed. The aircraft was totaled.
  • On September 1, 1966, a Britannia 102 from Britannia Airways (G-ANBB) fell below the safety altitude on approach to Ljubljana Airport and hit about 3 kilometers from the runway threshold . The pilots had failed to calibrate the altimeters to the local air pressure and carried out the visual approach too low in the dark, as a result of which they lost visual contact with the illuminated runway. 98 of the 117 occupants were killed in the accident.
In the April 20, 1967 Manston accident Britannia 308 G-ANCG the British Eagle , Liverpool 1965
The Britannia G-BRAC of Redcoat Air Cargo , Luton 1979, which crashed in Boston on February 16, 1980
  • Also on April 20, 1967, the pilots of a Britannia of the British Eagle (G-ANCG) carried out an emergency landing on a foam carpet at Manston Airport after a hydraulic failure . The machine touched down with the landing gear retracted and was irreparably damaged. All 11 crew members and 54 passengers survived.
  • On October 12, 1967, a Bristol Britannia 253 / C.1 of the Royal Air Force (XL638) rolled over the runway end at Aden Airport ( South Yemen ) and went into the sea. The cause was the failure of the propeller to reverse the thrust . All inmates survived. The aircraft was totaled.
  • On 12 July 1970, a Bristol Britannia 312F of the Argentine crashed Aero Transportes Entre Rios (LV-JNL) on the Buenos Aires-Ezeiza ( Argentina ) the go-trial . With a visibility of zero meters, the machine turned to the left, brushed a mobile radar device with its undercarriage, hit the ground and slid about another 600 meters. This resulted in a total loss of the aircraft. All 12 occupants of the cargo flight, 5 crew members and 7 passengers survived the accident.
  • On September 30, 1977, a Britannia 253 operated by Irish Interconair (EI-BBY ) experienced strong vibrations shortly before landing at Shannon Airport ( Ireland ). The approach was canceled and a go- around was initiated. The machine continued to sink, however, hit the runway and jumped up again, breaking off the right wing. It kept sliding, caught fire, and burned out. All 6 occupants, 4 crew members and 2 passengers survived the serious accident.
  • On February 16, 1980, a Britannia 253 of the British Redcoat Air Cargo (G-BRAC) crashed a few minutes after taking off from Boston , Massachusetts Airport from a height of about 500 meters (1700 feet) in a wooded area. Icing up before and after the start was identified as the cause. Four of the five crew members and all three passengers were killed.

Others

After agents of the Israeli secret services Lakam and Mossad tracked down the former SS-Obersturmbannführer and main logistical organizer of the Holocaust , Adolf Eichmann in his Argentine hiding place and kidnapped him on May 11, 1960, he was secretly transferred to Israel (to try him there) on 20./22. May of the same year with a Bristol Britannia of the El Al , which was officially disguised as a diplomatic transport aircraft.

Technical specifications

Parameter Britannia 310 Britannia 312
crew 4-7
Passengers 139 99
length 37.87 m
span 43.36 m 43.35 m
height 11.43 m
Takeoff mass 83,990 kg 83,914 kg
Cruising speed 575 km / h 574 km / h
Top speed 639 km / h
Service ceiling 7315 m
Range 6869 km 9289 km
Engines 4 propeller turbines type Bristol Proteus 765
with 3775 HP / 2775 kW and four-blade propellers

See also

literature

  • HA Taylor: Britannia ... end of the Bristol line . In: AIR Enthusiast Twenty, December 1982 - March 1983, pp. 31-46

Web links

Commons : Bristol Britannia  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The Britannia Association (High Society) . In: Airplane Monthly January 2001, p. 76
  2. Website of the XM496 Preservation Society
  3. ^ CH Barnes: Bristol Aircraft since 1910. Putnam, London 1988 (reprinted 1994), ISBN 0-85177-823-2 , pp. 349, 354-355, 397.
  4. ^ Accident statistics Bristol Britannia , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 16, 2020.
  5. ^ Accident report Britannia 101 G-ALRX , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 15, 2020.
  6. James J. Halley: Broken Wings. Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents . Air-Britain (Historians), Tunbridge Wells, 1999, ISBN 0-85130-290-4 , p. 218.
  7. ^ Accident report Britannia 301 G-ANCA , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 15, 2020.
  8. ^ Accident report Britannia 312 G-AOVD , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on December 10, 2018.
  9. ^ Accident report Britannia 102 G-ANBC , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 15, 2020.
  10. ^ Accident report Britannia CF-CZB , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on December 18, 2015
  11. 175 Britannia 312 Flight 802/6 accident
  12. ^ Accident report Britannia 302 XA-MEC , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 15, 2020.
  13. accident report Britannia G-anbb , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on 18 December 2015
  14. ^ Accident report Britannia HB-ITB , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on July 1, 2018.
  15. ^ Accident report Britannia G-ANCG , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on January 27, 2016.
  16. accident report Britannia 253 XL638 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 15 2020th
  17. accident report Britannia 312F LV JNL , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 15 2020th
  18. ^ Accident report Britannia 253 EI-BBY , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 16, 2020.
  19. ^ Accident report Britannia G-BRAC , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on December 3, 2018.
  20. Susan Harris: Encyclopedia of Aircraft: Technology, Models, Data . Ed .: Aerospace Publishing. Weltbild Verlag, Augsburg 1994, ISBN 3-89350-055-3 , p. 402-403 .